Living without Big Tech: Is It Possible? (cross-border guide)

Context

In brief

• Two Swissinfo journalists have decided to distance themselves from big tech companies.
• They started from scratch: computer, email, phones, cloud services, and artificial intelligence tools.
• The process was slow and complicated, with difficulties in accessing services and payments.
• The dependence on Big Tech is deep and requires time, money, and patience to overcome.

• What: Two Swissinfo journalists tried to live and work without Big Tech.
• When: Not specified.
• Where: Switzerland.
• Who: Kristian Foss Brandt and Sara Ibrahim, Swissinfo journalists.
• Amount: Not specified.

The digital life is dominated by Big Tech. Almost every interaction with the outside world goes through a handful of US companies. Our personal data, from photos to passwords, are stored in the cloud infrastructure of these companies.

Two Swissinfo journalists, Kristian Foss Brandt and Sara Ibrahim, have decided to cut ties with these big tech companies. They embarked on a journey towards digital independence, starting from the basics: computer, email, phones, cloud services, and artificial intelligence tools.

Initially, it seemed like simple changes: abandoning one service to adopt another. However, they soon realized that the problem is not a single app or platform, but the ecosystem built around our digital lives by big tech companies.

Getting rid of it requires time, money, and a lot of patience. The two journalists experienced firsthand the difficulties of this process, from work apps crashing to mobile payments stopping to function.

Facts and figures

The dependence on Big Tech is a complex issue that involves many aspects of daily life. The two journalists had to face numerous challenges, from managing email to replacing cloud services.

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Operational details

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Key points

What to do concretely If you want to try living and working without Big Tech, there are a few steps you can take:

• Assess your needs: Identify the services and tools that are essential for your work and daily life. - Look for alternatives: Explore alternative solutions to the services offered by Big Tech. - Security management: Pay attention to data security and privacy. - Be patient: Independence from Big Tech takes time and patience.

Site Tools For more information and tools on how to live and work without Big Tech, visit our website and use our tools and resources.

Source: swissinfo.ch

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